@TechReport{dp-561,
author = {Anger, Silke and Schnitzlein, Daniel D.},
astring = {Silke Anger and Daniel D. Schnitzlein},
title = {Cognitive Skills, Non-Cognitive Skills, and Family
Background: Evidence from Sibling Correlations},
month = {July},
year = {2015},
pages = {35},
number = {561},
size = {752},
language = {en},
keywords = {Sibling correlations, family background, non-cognitive
skills, cognitive skills, intergenerational mobility},
jelclass = {J24, J62},
abstract = {This paper estimates sibling correlations in cognitive and
non-cognitive skills to evaluate the importance of family
background for skill formation. Based on a large
representative German dataset including IQ test scores and
measures of non-cognitive skills, a restricted maximum
likelihood model indicates substantial influences of family
background on skill formation. Sibling correlations in
non-cognitive skills range from 0.223 to 0.464; therefore,
at least one-fifth of the variance in these skills results
from sibling-related factors. Sibling correlations in
cognitive skills are higher than 0.50; therefore, more than
half of the inequality in cognition can be explained by
family background. Comparing these findings with those in
the intergenerational skill transmission literature
suggests that intergenerational correlations capture only
part of the influence of family on children's cognitive and
non-cognitive skills, as confirmed by decomposition
analyses and in line with previous findings on educational
and income mobility.}
}